


The Cabin

by tomsfronttooth



Category: British Actor RPF, Real Person Fiction, Tom Hardy - Fandom
Genre: Doggy Style, Eventual Smut, F/M, Fluff and Smut, Hunting and Tracking, Light Cottagecore, Masturbation, Masturbation in Shower, Missionary Position, Oral Sex, Sex in the woods, Small Towns, Smut
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-20
Updated: 2020-10-30
Packaged: 2021-03-09 00:49:20
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,714
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27125446
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tomsfronttooth/pseuds/tomsfronttooth
Summary: Tom Hardy's new role involves him having to learn all about hunting and tracking, and of course, being the method actor he is, he decides to immerse himself by staying with  an expert on the subject, author Lily Carradine, for two months. But when he finally arrives at her cabin, both of them learn so much more than they ever expected.
Relationships: Tom Hardy/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 8
Kudos: 20





	1. The Visitor

**Author's Note:**

> This is an old Tom Hardy fic I started a while back and never posted - hoping to have more for you soon!

The early spring sun filtered through the round crystal suncatcher that hung on Lily's office window. Papers and books were strewn around the large oak desk, a favorite item of her father's that he bought years ago from a woodworker in Machias. Lily sorted through a few of the piles - research and notes for her next book - and tried to organize them into slightly neater piles before Tom arrived from the airport today. About a month ago, Lily’s book publisher got in touch with her and said that Tom Hardy’s people had reached out to her to see if Lily would be able to help train him for an upcoming movie role.

“What do they mean ‘train’?” Lily had said, cradling the phone receiver against her shoulder as she worked off her muddy boots in the entryway of her house. She nearly missed the call as she had been outside in the hen house, collecting the day’s egg production.

She heard the landline crackle in her ear. Though cell phones were everywhere these days, Lily never bothered to get one as she never used her phone much and there were no cell towers for miles anyways.

She heard Merrell’s voice come into focus on the other end. “Well, according to his people, he is going to start shooting a movie in Alberta in two months and the role he’s playing is a tracker.”

Lily finally got out of both boots and leaned on the small entry table the phone rested on, putting one hand on her hip. Now it made sense.

Merrell continued on the other end. “Apparently, they got ahold of one of your books - actually Tom did - and immediately had them contact me to see if you would be interested in having Tom come up and spend a couple of weeks with you so that he can learn all about it.”

Lily groaned, shifting on her feet as her Catahoula Cur, Namito, sauntered in and started sniffing her boots with interest.

“I don’t know Merrell,” Lily said, “I don’t want some random celebrity coming up here so I can teach him a few tricks for the cameras. What if he doesn’t take it seriously? What if he turns out to be a total asshole? I mean, I don’t know who this guy is.”

She sat down on one of the bottom stair steps next to the entry table as Namito came over to her, nudging her leg for a pet.

“Lily, he’s the one who insisted on having you train him!” Merrell pleaded through the phone. “He loved your book and he is known for taking any training he takes on for a role very seriously. And yes, you have seen one of his movies, I know for a fact.”

Lily scratched behind Namito’s ear, as she blinked in happiness up at her.

“What movie?” she asked.

“Remember the one I brought over last year?” Merrell asked. “The one about the two brothers who are MMA fighters?”

Lily thought back as she continued to pet Namito absentmindedly. “Yeah, vaguely,” she said.

“He was the big one,” said Merrell, “the one with all the tattoos.”

Lily now saw him coming into focus in her memory. She had remembered being struck by how surprisingly good he was in it, as she thought it was going to be another macho sports movie where guys just hit each other. Instead, the movie was refreshingly emotional and soulful, and yes, Tom was very easy to look at. Well, she thought, remembering his impressively muscular body, at least he won’t need any physical training.

They spent the next two weeks hammering out the details with Tom’s assistant and publicist, making sure to keep the whole thing extra quiet, lest the tabloids find out and descend upon the tiny, rural town of Eastbrook, Maine. Though Lily’s old farmhouse had plenty of rooms for him, she decided to offer him the small cabin, just off to the side of property, just to keep thing professional and they could do meals in the main house. The one-room cabin was small, but cozy and well-insulated for the chilly spring nights. There was a small wood stove with a stack of firewood next to it, and a worn leather armchair with a small side table and oil lamp that sat across from it. There was no real kitchen to speak of, just a small counter with a hot plate and tin coffeepot and a few shelves above it that contained a few glasses, plates, and some dry goods staples like granola, coffee, and beans. An old coffee can containing a random assortment of spoons, knives, and forks sat next to the small sink, which ran only freezing cold well water. To the side of the kitchen space was a wooden ladder that went up to a loft area that contained a modest queen size mattress with several blankets and a goose down comforter for extra warmth. It was rustic for sure, and Lily hoped Tom was up for it. Secretly, she was kind of looking forward to seeing how a big Hollywood actor would react to such bare bones accommodations and guessing if he lasted a week that would be something.

**********

The flight from London into Portland International Airport had been long and Tom had tried to get some sleep to once again get used to being in another time zone, but he had mostly tossed and turned while trying to watch “All The President’s Men” on the in-flight movie service. He already missed his little boy, who was staying with his mom while Tom was going to Maine to prep for his new movie role. The mom and his relationship only lasted a few years before they realized they were growing apart and split up last year. It was hard on Tom, who really thought they’d be together forever, but it was even tougher on their little boy. As that was the case, Tom tried to spend every free moment he had between filming with him, as that time was so precious.

Though he hated being away from his son, Tom had to admit he was excited for this role. The director was someone he had wanted to work with pretty much since he started his acting career. He had devoured the script when he first read it three years and since then, had fought to get it made. When the screenwriter had told him that he had used Lily Carradine’s books in his research on animal tracking for the script, Tom went right out and bought copies of all of her books, reading one right after the other. A city-boy by upbringing, he knew very little about nature and animals, but it was something he was always fascinated by, and Lily’s writing was surprisingly accessible to a layman like him. He knew that she was the person who could train him the best and he was excited to learn all he could from her.

The truck to her property bounced down the dirt road, and Tom held on for dear life as Lily’s agent navigated the twisting road. She had come to pick him up from the airport, and he was pleasantly surprised that he was not mobbed by photographers or fans as he usually was when he landed in New York or at LAX. Anonymity suited him just fine, and he was looking forward to soaking up as much training as possible in peace and quiet. He looked out the window as they made their way toward Lily’s, the landscape filled with the biggest trees he had ever seen, the hills rolling and green, the last of the winter snow finally leaving their peaks. The houses got fewer and far between as they left Portland, until now, they just dotted the landscape.

“So, I hear you enjoyed Lily’s books,” Merrell said brightly as she turned the truck down a sharp turn.

Tom jolted out of his daydreaming and chuckled softly. “Yes, yes I did,” he responded, shaking his head thoughtfully. “They were surprisingly accessible and funny too.”

Merrell nodded her head in agreement. “Yep, that’s Lily,” she said affectionately. “Knows more about tracking than most male trackers twice her age but doesn’t bog it down in jargon or treat it like an exclusive club that no one can join. She loves it - she grew up doing it.”

Tom shifted in his seat to face her a little better. “This may seem like kind of an inappropriate question and probably slightly sexist,” he admitted reluctantly, “but she lives on that property by herself right? No husband or boyfriend - or girlfriend?”

Merrell laughed. “No that’s okay,” she said soothingly. “A lot of people ask about that - a woman in her 30’s, living alone on a big property out in the middle of nowhere…,” she trailed off, leaving a question mark at the end of her sentence.

She was quiet a minute and then spoke. “Lily’s never been married,” she responded, somewhat solemnly. “She was with someone for almost two years, but broke it off just a few months ago.” She paused, looking furtively at Tom out of the side of her eye. “He was married,” she finally said. “He still is - wasn’t willing to give up on his marriage even though he strung her along for two years. Please don’t tell her I said anything to you.”

Tom shook his head in affirmation, feeling slightly embarrassed. “No, of course not,” he said.

They headed through a narrow road lined with pine trees, passing a small wood sign with “Two Fishers” and an arrow pointing ahead written on it. As they drove on, the trees started falling away until it opened up to a huge dirt driveway. An enormous, two-level wood-cabin style house sat in front of them, a red chicken coop off to the left and an vintage black Ford truck parked off to one side of the driveway. A green, painted sign reading “Two Fishers” hung over the front door.  
Tom’s mouth opened in awe. “How many acres does she have?” he asked as they pulled to a stop by the black truck.

“Oh, I don’t know,” Merrell said, throwing the truck into park. “But it’s a lot. I don’t think even Lily knows. It was all her dads’ - left it to her when he passed away several years back.”

Tom opened the door, reaching into the back to grab his rucksack. As he got out he heard the distinct sound of the air being sliced in half, a “thwacking” noise punctuating the chilly afternoon air. He looked further up the property and saw someone chopping firewood with an axe, a great pile of split wood beside them.

Merrell got out and walked out in front of the truck as Tom threw his bag over his shoulder, fishing his vaporizer out of his jeans pocket.

“Lily!” shouted Merrell, waving her arms up at the person chopping wood up the hill. Tom saw them pause mid strike and shield their eyes with a hand, looking down at who was yelling at them and waving back when they realized who it was.

Tom watched Lily strike the axe into her chopping stump so that it would stay there for later and make her way down to them. She was wearing a waffle-textured, white, long-sleeve shirt, brown leather work gloves, a pair of worn blue jeans, and brown work boots. Her dark brown hair was piled on top of her head in a messy top knot that bounced with each step she took. A large, brown and black spotted dog bounded after her.

She met Merrell at the edge of the driveway with a hug, her cheeks flushed pink with exertion and cold. The dog sniffed excitedly at Merrell, tail wagging, and then made its way over to Tom, sniffing curiously at his legs and feet. Tom loved dogs, and crouched down, he gently putting out a hand for the dog to check out, which it did, finally licking it in acceptance and going in for a nuzzle.

Tom petted it affectionately. “Oh, you are a love aren’t you?” he said, scratching it behind the ears, the dog panting happily at him.

“Quite a fierce creature isn’t she,” he heard a voice say. As he looked up, he saw Lily now standing above him.

He stood up and was surprised to find himself taken aback by her eyes. They were large and warm, and the most incredible blue-gray color he had ever seen. He felt his own eyes being drawn in like a magnet to them, and had difficulty looking away.

“Oh yeah,” he finally said, looking back down at the dog, who sat happily at his feet. “What’s her name?”

“Namito,” responded Lily with a smile. “She’s a Catahoula Cur.”

“Namito,” Tom echoed back, sounding out the name. “I like that - does it mean anything?”

Lily smiled and Tom again found himself surprised by how beautiful she was. “Yes, it means ‘see’ in Abenaki,” she said, reaching down to pet her head. “Best tracking dog on the planet.”

Tom stood up and adjusted his bag on his shoulder. “I’m Tom,” he said, extending a hand out to her.

“Lily - nice to meet you Tom,” she responded, shaking his hand firmly.

“Thanks so much for agreeing to do this,” he said. “I’m really looking forward to learning as much as I can from you.”  
Lily smiled ruefully. “Well, we’ll see what you say once we start.”

Tom chuckled and took a long pull off of his vaporizer. He saw Lily watch him inhale the vapor and blow it out in a long, white cloud.

She smiled, moving her hand up to her topknot and removing the band that held it in place. A thick mess of chocolate brown hair with soft caramel highlights came tumbling down past her shoulders. Tom tried not to stare. “Just so you know, as far as that goes,” she said, pointing at the device and running a hand through her thick mane, “it’s completely fine in your cabin or on the grounds here, but when we are out tracking, it stays here, okay?”  
Tom smiled and let the vaporizer fall to his side. “You’re the boss.”


	2. Settling In

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tom and Lily get acquainted and get ready to head out on their first day of tracking together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No smut yet guys, but I promise there will be some in the next chapter! :)

Lily said goodbye to Merrell and escorted Tom up the property towards the cabin that sat a few hundred yards from the main house. He was a little shorter than she had expected, but had surprisingly broad shoulders and several black tattoos peeking out from his shirt. He definitely looked like a guy you didn’t want to mess with, but Lily was surprised to find that he seemed to have a very gentle and polite nature that matched his elegant, albeit slightly throaty British accent.

Lily opened the door to the cabin and gestured for Tom to come in.

“So here’s where you’ll be staying,” she said, taking a few steps inside. “I hope it’s okay.”

Tom set his bag down inside the door and walked around, checking the cabin out.

“Bed is up in the loft,” Lily explained. “I figured we can do most meals in the main house, but I did stock up on some non-perishables here for you.”

She watched Tom take in the little kitchen area, his face unreadable. She was wondering how freaked out he was about the rustic living situation, because if he was, he wasn’t showing it.

He stopped by the armchair and looked up to the loft area. “Um...toilet?”

Lily smiled. “There’s one out behind the cabin, and we have two bathrooms in the main house if you need something a little more proper - there’s showers there too, since there isn't one in the cabin.”

Tom stopped and looked around, hands on his hips. Lily noticed just how full his lips were, and suddenly felt a flush of heat run to her cheeks.

“If this doesn’t work for you, I can always try and make some room in the main house - ” Lily started to offer.

Tom turned around to face her, his once-inscrutable face now breaking out in a big grin. “Naw,” he said cheerfully, “this is great - perfect.”

*********************

Lily left Tom to get settled in and walked back to the main house to get started on dinner prep for them. Namito trotted along after her, the sky starting to turn soft and pink as afternoon turned to evening. Lily knew the evening would be chilly, as they often were, even in spring, so she went into the living room with an arm full of the wood she had chopped earlier and started making a fire. Once she had the logs going at a good clip, she made her way into the kitchen and turned on her little AM/FM radio, the local classical station crackling to life with a few small turns of the knob. She stoked the small potbelly stove that sat in the middle of the kitchen as Namito settled onto her worn, red-plaid dog bed that sat next to it.

It was strange having a man staying on the property. The last time a man lived there was her father, and that was over three years ago. The last few years with dad were tough as the Alzheimer's had really taken a toll on his behavior and memory. He had taught Lily everything he knew about tracking, ever since her mom left them when she was four. 

Lily heard the doorbell ring, waking her out of her daydream. Namito’s head picked up in alert. “It’s okay,” Lily reassured her, taking her flour-stained apron off and heading towards the front door.

She opened it to Tom standing outside, who had changed into a long-sleeved green flannel shirt. He looked up as soon as she opened the door and gave a little smile, revealing two pretty adorable dimples, Lily had to admit.

She smiled back at him. “You know, you’re going to be staying here for a little while, you don’t have to ring the doorbell,” she said teasingly.

Tom grinned sheepishly as Lily let him in. “My mom always raised me that it was impolite to assume permission.”

“Smart lady,” said Lily. “Honestly, I want you to feel comfortable here, and I don’t lock the doors anyway - no need to here - so feel free to come and go as you please.”

Tom nodded and Lily waved him into the kitchen. “Dinner’s ready,” she said, walking over to the stove. “I hope you like rabbit stew.”

“Oh yeah, that sounds great,” he said. Tom sat down at the small wood dining table, Namito sniffing at the hand he held out to her, promptly yawning, and putting her head back down on her dog bed.

“She’s already comfortable with you,” Lily said, getting out bowls and silverware. “That’s unusual for her.”

Tom sat back in his chair. “I love dogs,” he said. “I have two at home myself - Max and Blu - lost Woody last year which was tough. She was such a good dog.”

Lily heard the sadness in her voice and her heart went out to him. She couldn’t imagine what she’d do if something happened to Namito.

She brought the bowls and silverware over to the table and set them out. Tom moved to get up. “Can I help out at all?” he said, starting to push his chair back.

Lily waved him down. “No, no, please sit down,” she said. “It’s all done, just relax. You had a long trip today.”

She moved over to the stove again and grabbed her small red Dutch oven, bringing it over to the table and setting it on a thick wood plank set in the center of the table. Lily heard the last bars of Vivaldi’s “Spring” end on the radio and the opening notes of Chopin’s “Nocturne No.1 in B Flat Minor” begin.

She sat down across from Tom and smiled softly. “This was one of my dad’s favorite pieces,” she said wistfully. “He always said it reminded him of mom - he used to play it on an old piano we had. He used to say that this song was written about my mom, even though it was written in the 1800’s. Even when his memory went, somehow he still could remember all the notes to that song.”

She looked up at Tom, who was looking at her intently. “Sorry, just got lost in a moment there,” she chuckled awkwardly, and started ladling out the stew into Tom’s bowl. “My dad had Alzheimer's and passed away a few years ago,” she explained.

“Oh, I’m sorry -” Tom started to say, his blue-green eyes crinkling in concern.

“No, don’t worry,” Lily dismissed. “It was a few years ago and we had so many good years together. He taught me everything I know about tracking - the last few years I wrote down as much as he could remember before all of it was gone.”

She passed some of the homemade bread her neighbor, Mrs. Goode made for her in exchange for some eggs from Lily’s chickens.

“Thank you,” said Tom as he took a piece. “Your dad sounds like he was an amazing man,” he said, picking up his knife and spreading a thick swath of butter across the top.

Lily ladled some stew into her bowl. “Yes, he was,” she said. “Taught me how to spot travel routes and rub areas on trees - how to skin a rabbit,” she said, gesturing to the stew.

Tom’s eyes widened, and Lily couldn’t help but let a laugh loose at his expression.

  
“Cor, that’s pretty impressive,” he said, taking a bite of the stew. “And really delicious.”

Lily chuckled. “Well, hopefully, by the end of your stay, you’ll be able to do that too - if you’re interested.”

Tom nodded. “I’m here to just learn all I can from you that you are willing to teach me,” he said, his forehead wrinkling intently. Lily found herself lingering on his face a little longer than she had wanted to. “I just want to let you know that I will respect your process and be open to it.”

Lily sat back. Her bullshit meter was usually spot on, and surprisingly, it was not going off with Tom. He truly seemed very humble and receptive - that he really wanted to learn and understand about tracking.

“That’s good to know,” she said matter-of-factly. “Then I’ll offer you the same respect and not take it easy on you.”

Tom nodded and grinned appreciatively, his blue-green eyes dancing in the soft light of the kitchen. Lily felt a small flutter inside her stomach but pushed it away.

“I’ll meet you tomorrow morning, 5 a.m.,” Lily said, taking a bite out of her bread. “Oh, and no cologne.”

***********************

Tom woke up the next morning and changed into some cargo pants, brown hiking boots, and two layers of long-sleeved shirts. He boiled some water on the hot plate for a cup of tea and made sure not to wear any fragrances per Lily’s request. He had enjoyed their dinner last night, and was surprised to find her very open and honest, even despite all she had been through with her father. She was intelligent, witty, and no-nonsense, and Tom responded to that as he was the same way.

He downed his tea quickly, anxious to get started on the day, and threw a few last-minute granola bars into his backpack before heading out of the cabin and down the hill towards the house. He saw Lily and Namito already down in front of the house, Lily sitting on a large bench carved out of a tree trunk, packing gear into her rucksack as Namito sniffed around the dirt excitedly. Namito spotted him and bounded over, tail wagging as she sniffed all around him, nudging his hand with her black nose until he reached down to pet her.

Lily looked up and gave a smile that inexplicably made his chest flutter. She was wearing ugly, but practical-looking brown boots, with gray wool socks peeking out the tops of them, her faded blue jeans tucked down inside. She had on an olive green cotton shirt with three small wooden buttons opened casually at the top, revealing the pale, smooth hollow of her throat, and her thick, chestnut hair flowed over the front of her shoulder in a long, chunky braid. Not a speck of makeup anywhere and she looked positively radiant.

“Morning!” she said brightly as he made his way down to her.

“Morning,” Tom replied, dropping his backpack on the ground beside him.

“You didn’t shower right?”

“Nope, no shower as instructed,” Tom smiled as Namito licked at his hand.

Lily nodded, satisfied. “Good - cause the last thing we want animals to be smelling is us. Speaking of…” she trailed off, reaching for a gray jacket sitting next to her and throwing it to him.

“Wear that as well - it should fit you.”

Tom held out the jacket in front of him, examining it before a scent caught his attention. He brought the garment up to his nose and sniffed.

“Smells like a campfire,” he said.

“Pine smoke to be exact,” Lily said standing up as she tightened the straps around her water bottle that was lashed to the front of her bag. “The smell of smoke throws them off the scent of us. The less they can smell us the better we can track them.”

Tom nodded, slipping on the jacket. Lily walked over to him, a small black pouch in her hand.

“Here, this is for you,” she said, handing it over to him. He noticed the jacket she was wearing smelled like smoke too, but there was something underneath it - it wasn’t any kind of perfume or soap, it was like it was just her natural chemistry, and Tom suddenly felt uncomfortable with how close she was to him.

He opened up the pouch. Inside was a small notebook, mechanical pencil, a small ruler and measuring tape, and some thin, pointed wooden stakes. He looked up at Lily and she must have noticed the confusion on his face.

“Dowels,” she explained, moving closer to him as she pointed to them. “Useful for marking tracks on the ground. Once you mark them, it’s easier to visualize the animal’s gate, stride length, and to pick out individual trails among many of them...”

Tom found himself staring at her profile as she talked, her lips full and pink, the apples of her cheeks flushing rose in the cold morning air. Her huge gray-blue eyes lit up with a brightness that only seemed to come when she talked about tracking, and he smiled to himself with that knowledge.

“...so we’re going to just ease into this - only tracking and observing today,” she continued as Tom snapped out of his wandering thoughts. “We listen, we watch - we keep our eyes, ears, and even noses open.”

Tom nodded in affirmation.

“First and foremost we also remember that we are in their territory, not ours,” Lily said sternly, hauling her rucksack over her shoulder. “That means we respect their space and keep our presence there as minimal as possible. You ready?”

Tom grabbed his bag and hauled it over his shoulder. “Ready.”


	3. Whiskey and Open Doors

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With their first day under their belts, Tom and Lily unwind and get a little more familiar than they had planned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some smutty goodness starting :)

Lily was pleasantly surprised at Tom’s progress on the first day. He took direction well, likely learned from his years acting, and she was impressed by his work ethic and attention to detail. Whenever she stopped to explain something, his gaze was always focused intently on hers, and his brows would furrow up in this look of genuine concentration and interest. Lily felt like a blundering novice every time she spoke, because the minute her mouth opened, those intense sea-colored eyes would be on hers, and she would inevitably stumble over her words. 

She went over the basics of animal scat and identification, as well as some initial track identification based on hoof or paw print. Tom was attentive and an eager student, asking questions and making notes in the small notebook Lily had provided him. They had a light lunch of the bread from last night’s dinner, some aged, hard cheese from a dairy down the road, and bright green Granny Smith apples, making sure to seal and pack up any cores or leavings in the sealable plastic bags Lily brought with her, to take back with them. No traces. Late in the afternoon, they picked up on some solid deer tracks, following them to a small clearing where a large, white-tailed doe was resting in the cool of forest canopy shade along with her newborn fawn.

Her and Tom scooted down low from a good distance, and as Lily pointed the mother and child out to Tom, his eyes went wide in wonder, a grin breaking out across his face that in turn, also spread to Lily’s face in seeing his reaction.

  
“Cor, that’s lovely,” he breathed, his voice soft in awe.

  
Lily smiled at him. “I never get sick of this.”

  
Tom’s smile went wistful. “Makes me think of my boy.”

  
Lily turned to him, curiously. “You have a son?”

  
“Yeah, Louis” said Tom, furrowing his brow. “He’s such a good lad - loves playing with those little matchbox toy cars all the time. He’s with his mum while I’m here.”

  
Lily felt a pang of disappointment in her chest. “His mum?”

  
“Yeah,” continued Tom, his forehead wrinkling in distress as he stared at the serene family scene before him. “We got divorced about a year ago - we just couldn’t make it work.”

  
Lily hated to admit that she felt a little guilty at the surge of joy that went through her knowing he wasn’t still married.

  
“Well, even though you aren’t together, I know your son feels very lucky to have parents who love him so much.”

  
Tom turned his head to her, his expression turning from one of sadness to something else Lily couldn’t pinpoint - something more intense and probing, like he was searching through her for something he wanted to understand.

  
Lily broke his gaze and flushed. She heard a rustling as she turned back and saw the doe and her little one heading back into the lush green curtain of the forest.

  
Her voice sounded rough when she finally spoke again. “I think we’ve done enough for today, let’s head back.”

******************************************

They finally made it back to Two Fishers as the sky started to get golden and pink and the air became crisp. Both of them were ravenous and Lily suggested they eat by the campfire pit up by one of the hills near the house. Tom immediately offered to get the campfire going while Lily arranged the food for them and 20 minutes later, they were sitting next to a roaring fire digging into plates of roast potatoes, sausage, and blistered garlic green beans, while Namito sat near their feet, chewing on her favorite bone.

Their stomachs finally full, they sat back in their camp chairs, discussing the events of the day, with Tom asking Lily about her funniest tracking stories.

“...so I heard this this huge yell behind me,” giggled Lily as she wrapped her red plaid blanket around her tighter, “and I see my dad laying face down in this huge steaming pile of elk shit!”

Tom wheezed, a huge peal of laughter erupting from him, making his eyes dance in delight, and Lily could see his slightly crooked front tooth, which made him look about ten years old in that moment, spurring on Lily’s own laughter in the process. She reached down by her feet and brought up the bottle of 12-year-old Redbreast whiskey she had fished out from her dad’s old liquor cabinet, pouring a little more into her white speckled ceramic mug.

  
She gestured to Tom. “Did you want a little bit more?”

  
He moved closer to her with his own mug, holding it out. “Yeah, love thanks. I don’t drink very much anymore, but this is maybe the best whiskey I’ve ever had.”

  
Lily slowly poured a decent sized pull into his cup and smiled. “Yeah, my dad loved the stuff - it was his one indulgence.”

  
Tom took a small sip, leaning back, his elbow resting on a large log beside Lily’s chair. He chewed at his lower lip for a minute.

  
“Look,” he said finally, “this is absolutely none of my business and you can tell me to go to hell, but are you not seeing anyone?”

  
Lily felt her face flush as he looked up at her. His face wasn’t judgmental in any way, just curious. She cleared her throat uncomfortably.

  
“Um, no I’m not seeing anyone,” she said softly. “I mean, I was but it didn’t work out.”

  
Tom turned more on his elbow to face her better. “What happened?” he said, “I mean, if you don’t mind me asking.”

  
Lily took a quick sip of her whiskey, turning away from him and looking into the fire. “I met him through a friend at the local college,” she said, her voice a little hoarser than she wished. “He taught - well, teaches - botany there. Anyway, we just kind of hit it off right away and had a lot in common, except that he forgot to tell me he was married.”

  
Her eyes flicked over to Tom, who was listening to her with concerned interest.

  
“Anyway,” she continued. “By the time I found out he was married, I was already totally in love with him and he kept telling me how unhappy he was and that he was going to leave her but that it was hard since they had a child. He kept telling me this for almost two years, until one day, it finally hit me that he was never going to leave her.”

  
Tom nodded solemnly, his eyes gazing deeply into Lily’s, so much so that her voice hitched a bit when she continued.

  
“It was a mistake,” she said, reaching down to scratch Namito’s head as she lay sleepily on her blanket. “I should have left the minute I found out he was married, but I was in love with him and thought he was in love with me too. I really thought he would eventually leave her and be with me. Stupid, right?”

  
Tom immediately sat up. “No, you’re not stupid love- he is,” he said, his hand reaching out to cover hers that was resting on her knee. It felt rough and strong and Lily felt a shiver run through her body. “He had a warm, intelligent, compassionate, funny, and beautiful woman in his hands and he cocked it up.”

  
He squeezed her hand softly, and Lily shivered. 

  
“Um, I think I’m going to call it quits for tonight and take a shower,” she said, getting up, making Namito raising her head with interest. “Meet you at the house for breakfast tomorrow morning?”

  
Tom smiled, clearing his throat and nodding his head. “Sounds good, boss.”

********************************************

Tom went back to his cabin, feeling a little uneasy about his and Lily’s conversation that night. He was worried he had made her uncomfortable, but ever since he got here, he felt drawn to her - to know who she was, what made her happy, what made her sad - and it honestly surprised him that a woman that incredible wasn’t taken, though now he knew why. All he could think about was how her face glowed like an angel in the light of the campfire, and how her thick, silky hair fell over her shoulder in that lovely, long braid. He wanted nothing more than to take that braid apart and run his fingers through it, to drink in the smell of it, of her. Tom let out a long breath, running his hands over his beard. Since Lily was upstairs in the main house taking a shower, Tom figured this was a good time to go in and take one himself in the downstairs bathroom. A cold one.

Grabbing a towel Lily left him in the cabin, he threw it over his shoulder and made his way down to the house. Namito was sleeping in the living room when he came in and she lifted her head lazily when he entered, promptly going back to sleep when she saw it was him. He headed down the hallway to the back of the house. Seeing that the door to the bathroom was already ajar, he pushed it open and immediately spotted Lily, naked, toweling herself off, who promptly shrieked when she saw him, her towel flying up to cover herself.

  
“Oh my God, Lily, I’m so sorry!” Tom said, immediately turning away from her. “I thought you were in your bathroom upstairs!”

  
He heard her move away from the tub with a “oof!” and turned his head slightly, immediately going towards her as she nearly slipped trying to steady herself. He grabbed her by the elbow, and in the process, her towel slipped, revealing her shapely breasts, flushed pink either from the warmth of her shower or the embarrassment of having him walk in on her. Tom swallowed, his throat feeling constricted all of a sudden. He guiltily felt his cock go hard as he lifted the towel up to cover her.

  
He helped her right herself as she was finally able to secure the towel around her body.

  
“Are you okay?” he asked her, trying to search her face, which was looking towards the floor, turning beet-red. “Lily, I’m so sorry - I didn’t know you were in here, I swear. I saw the door was open and I thought you were upstairs.”

  
Lily finally lifted her head and gave an embarrassed smile. 

  
“It’s okay,” she said, her voice small, trying to brush off her mortification. “It was an accident.”

  
Her dark hair hung down in thick wet ropes down her back and Tom noticed a small birthmark in the hollow of her smooth clavicle in the shape of a star. Her skin looked absolutely delectable, still moist and glowing from her shower and Tom realized his breathing was becoming more ragged as he could think of nothing else but wanting to taste every inch of her skin right now.

  
He suddenly realized he was still holding her elbow, not wanting to let go.

  
Lily looked down at his hand, her eyes flicking up to his.

  
“I’m okay Tom, really.” she said, and Tom immediately took his hand away. 

  
“Sorry,” he said.

  
Lily gave a small smile. “It’s okay - the shower is all yours,” she said heading for the door. She looked back at him. “Goodnight Tom.”

  
“Goodnight Lily.”

  
A few minutes later, the shower jets beating down on him, Tom’s thoughts couldn’t help but drift to her - the beautiful flush of her porcelain skin, the smooth curve of her hips, her sweet, rosebud nipples jutting out so hard and pink. Tom leaned his head back, talking his hard length in his hand and slowly pumping his fist over it, the water running down his front in warm rivulets. He imagined kissing down her silky skin, his hands cupping the weight of her breasts as his tongue flicked over her taut nipples, nibbling and sucking them into his mouth as she moaned above him, her hands running through his hair. Tom moaned softly to himself, his hand pumping faster over his painfully hard cock, as he imagined himself looking up at her while he kissed and licked down to her slick pussy, already swollen and pink with arousal. His tongue slowly licking up her slit as she sighs, her juices leaking out of her in desire as he laps at her, his tongue probing deep into the heat of her pussy, alternately flicking and sucking on her clit like a precious pearl. Tom could feel the muscles in his pelvis start to twitch as he imagined Lily’s enormous eyes looking down on him, her pupils blown, gasping and clutching at him, saying, “make me come, Tommy.”

  
Tom suddenly let out a loud groan as he climaxed, shooting out thick ropes of cum over his hand and down the drain, Lily’s name all over his lips. Upstairs, Lily lay in bed, her fingers brushing lightly over her arm where he had touched her.


End file.
